


The Calendar

by ealdorcottagecore



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempt at Humor, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:40:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28364820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ealdorcottagecore/pseuds/ealdorcottagecore
Summary: Merlin is a farm worker on Arthur's farm. He finds the farm owner incredibly annoying, a complete dollophead. He doesn't find him cute at all. Nope, not one bit.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 78





	The Calendar

**Author's Note:**

> Dear Penny (@gayfirebender), I really hope you enjoy your Secret Santa present! Writing a farmer au was so much fun!! You are so wonderful and I'm so happy to call you my friend. Happy Holidays!  
> I want to thank Maria (aka @arthurpendragonns) for being my beta! Love you both!!

It was the day before Christmas Eve, and the sun was disappearing behind the horizon as Merlin made his way to his last job on the farm before it was time to go home. The joints in his hands ached with cold and he rubbed them together to take the edge off. He could see his breath form clouds in the air as he unlocked the door of the barn. He walked inside, smiling at the sight of the seven fluffy highland calves waiting impatiently for their feed. Feeding the calves was one of the best jobs on the farm, at least in Merlin’s opinion. He stroked their necks to help them to feed and their fur felt soft and warm on his cold hands. He finished feeding the last calf as the light had just started to disappear completely from the sky. Everything looked cold and blue.

As he walked back outside into the chilly air, he noticed a light turn on in the farmhouse and a figure moved inside. It was Arthur Pendragon, the owner of the farm and his boss. That must have been the prat’s bedroom. He’d known Arthur for a few months now and found him to be incredibly annoying, ordering Merlin here there and everywhere and complaining like a child when Merlin didn’t finish everything within five minutes.

Merlin knew he should look away, but he found himself staring as Arthur pulled off his shirt. He took a step around the side of the barn to get a better view. He could see the muscles flexing in his back, his broad shoulders were bare. The shirt got stuck on Arthur’s head and he had to tug at it to pull it off. It was almost adorable. A small, amused smile formed on Merlin's lips. Despite his annoying persona, Merlin had seen a soft side to him in the past few weeks. The way he tended to the animals, the way he had shown kindness to Gwen when she lost her father to illness, the passion he had for the farm that had once belonged to his father. He knew there was more to this man than met the eye. Arthur put on a stripy pyjama top and Merlin chuckled. He should look away before he gets caught, he thought to himself.

He didn't notice it at first, but there was a shuffling sound coming from behind him. He snapped out of his Arthur-induced trance and his eyes went wide with a horrible realisation. He turned around to see seven highland calves galloping down through the yard and into the field. He'd left the barn door open.

"No no no no!"

Merlin ran after the cows frantically.

...

Arthur had had a long day. He was tired and could not wait to get into bed. It may have been early, but he was exhausted. He knew Merlin was about to finish up outside and head off home. Unlike Gwen, he didn’t usually pop in to say he was finished, so Arthur wasn’t going to bother waiting until he left. He just wanted to rest. He began to pull off his shirt. It got stuck on his head and he fought to tug it off and went to find his pyjamas.

He was doing up the last button on his pyjama top when he heard, "No no no no!"

He closed his eyes and sighed. Merlin.

He looked out of his bedroom window to see the farm worker running after his seven highland calves who were running loose down to the bottom of the farm.

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose and let out an irritated sigh. He went downstairs to find his coat and wellington boots. He stormed down to the field where Merlin was still chasing after the cows.

"MERLIN!"

...

Merlin turned around to see Arthur marching towards him. Now he was in big trouble.

“Merlin!” Arthur shouted, “What on _Earth_ have you done!?”

Merlin swallowed. “I- I seem to have lost your calves.” He looked at the farmer with an innocent smile.

Arthur covered his eyes with his hand and sighed, dragging his hand down his face. “Well, we better find them then,” he said, walking past Merlin, his hands in fists by his sides and his shoulders tense.

Together, they managed to herd up the calves and lead them back to the barn. They were getting them back into the warmth of the barn when Arthur turned to Merlin.

“So, _Mer_ lin, you total buffoon, how _did_ you manage to let seven _baby cows_ walk straight past you out of the barn?”

Merlin was hoping he wouldn’t ask that. He looked at Arthur, putting on his best honest face. "Um, well, I got distracted." That wasn't totally a lie. He was distracted after all.

"By what, exactly," Arthur folded his arms and looked at Merlin with expectant eyes.

"I… thought I heard a noise around the side of the barn, so I… went to investigate," Merlin said, still looking straight at Arthur, ready for him to tell him he knew he'd been looking into his bedroom window.

"Right," Arthur replied with a frown. He shook his head, "Let's count the cows and call it a night, shall we?"

Merlin realised he had been holding his breath and let out a small sigh of relief. Arthur counted the cows. Then he counted them again.

"There's only six!" He turned to look at Merlin. "Where's Fenton!?"

Fenton was Arthur's pride and joy, and now Merlin had lost him.

They headed back outside to look for Fenton. Merlin knew this was going to take a while which meant he would have to put up with Arthur for longer than usual. He didn’t talk to the farmer much apart from updating him on farm matters. He knew he could go inside to get lunch, that is what Gwen did, but he had a feeling that Arthur didn't want him there. He wondered if there might be something going on between Arthur and Gwen. Gwen hadn't said anything about it, but Arthur, despite being a complete dollophead, was kind of gorgeous. Merlin could hardly blame Gwen if there was something going on. So, Merlin usually ate his lunch up by the stables with the horses, out of the way of them both. The last thing he wanted was to be a third wheel.

They walked down the large field, Arthur shining his torch in all different directions in hope of spotting some movement. Neither had anything to say to the other, so they continued to walk in silence. Merlin glanced at Arthur’s face, expecting to still see him scowling. It was hard to make out much in the dark of the evening, but Merlin found no sign of anger or annoyance there. In fact, Arthur looked almost _happy_.

"It's getting so cold now," Merlin said at last.

"We wouldn’t have to still be in the cold if you could actually do your job," Arthur scoffed.

Merlin snorted and shook his head. "Some of us don’t have the luxury of going to bed as soon as the sun goes down."

Arthur stopped walking. "How did you know I was going to bed?"

Merlin didn't stop. He walked past Arthur. "You're in your pyjamas," he said with a smirk.

Arthur looked down, remembering that he had thrown his coat and wellies on over his stripy pyjamas.

Before long, they made it to the bottom of the field. Arthur shone the torch along where the grass met the hedgerow. The light stopped on the shape of the back end of a fluffy calf that was poking out of the hedge.

"Ahh, there he is," said Arthur happily. He knelt down to scratch behind Fenton's ears.

Just as they began to take Fenton back up to the barn, Merlin felt a drop land on his head. Then another. Then another. A few drops quickly became a downpour. They both tried their best to keep the calf dry as they led him back to the shelter of the barn.

By the time they had all seven calves back safely in the barn and secured the door behind them, both Arthur and Merlin were soaked through. Their hair sticking to their foreheads and the rainwater running in rivets down their faces.

"Let's go inside," Arthur said loudly over the hammering sound of the rain hitting the ground.

Merlin followed Arthur back to the house. Arthur opened the door and held it open for Merlin. He stepped inside into the warmth of the hallway. The water that had soaked them both from head to toe was puddling at their feet. Arthur took off his coat and hung it on a peg. Merlin could see where the rain had gone through the down jacket and soaked Arthur’s jumper, too.

Arthur looked Merlin up and down. "I'll get you some dry clothes. Wait here."

Merlin nodded and Arthur disappeared to get changed and bring Merlin some clothes. As soon as Arthur had made it upstairs, Merlin couldn't help but have a look around. He took off his boots and sneaked into the kitchen.

It was a beautiful country kitchen, not much different from what he had imagined, with a terracotta tiled floor and cream coloured wooden cupboards. The wall next to the door had a little table with three wooden chairs, and above the table was a calendar.

Merlin recognised it straight away. The picture comprised of a white background and a foreground made up of an array of green foliage and the warm glow of fairy lights. In the middle was Merlin himself, posed topless on a wooden stall holding another green plant. He had a red Santa hat on his head and red plaid pyjama bottoms. He was smiling cheekily at the camera. Merlin put a hand to his mouth and let out a nervous chuckle. It was, of course, the 23rd of December, which meant that Merlin had been displayed on Arthur's kitchen wall for almost an entire month.

"Merlin? I've got some dry clothes for you. Where are you?"

Arthur walked into the kitchen wearing fresh, dry pyjamas and holding some folded clothes in his arms. It didn't take him long to figure out what Merlin had found. His face turned a very bright shade of red.

"Nice calendar, Arthur," Merlin teased.

Arthur looked at the calendar and then back at Merlin. "I- it was a gift... from a friend.”

Merlin grinned. He’d never seen Arthur look embarrassed before and he was enjoying it, despite feeling a little embarrassed himself.

Arthur looked to the floor; his lips pressed tightly together. Clearly, he was not seeing this the same way as Merlin was. He pushed the clothes into Merlin’s arms and silently walked out of the room, not saying a word. Merlin stood in the kitchen, his eyes wide and a smirk on his face.

Merlin walked into the hall. "Arthur? Where’s the bathroom?"

A small voice came from the living room. "Upstairs."

Merlin rolled his eyes and found his own way to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He could still hear the heavy rain hammering on the window. He looked at the pile of clothes Arthur had given him. He'd been very thoughtful. He had a towel, some unbelievably soft boxers, wool socks, comfortable jogging bottoms, a long-sleeved t-shirt and a navy-blue fisherman's jumper. He held the jumper to his nose and breathed in the gorgeous smell. It smelled musky with a hint of expensive aftershave. He felt a little weird for doing so, but Arthur did have a half naked picture of him in his kitchen, so he felt he was allowed at least this. He dried off with the towel and got into Arthur's clothes.

When he came back downstairs, Arthur was still in the living room watching Countryfile. Merlin smiled warmly at the sight. The idea of leaving now just didn't seem right.

"…I’ll make us some tea.”

Arthur said nothing, eyes trained on the TV. Merlin walked back into the kitchen and took another look at the calendar on the wall. He wondered how Arthur really did get the calendar. The only person who knew about it who worked on the farm was Gwen.

Merlin giggled again to himself. Gwen must have told Arthur about the calendar. He flicked back to the previous months. Merlin was right, Arthur hadn’t used it from the beginning. In fact, the first few scribbles on it appeared halfway through June, meaning Gwen had told him not long after Merlin had started his job there, and Arthur must have bought it _because_ of Merlin.

He made the tea with a smile on his face and carried the two cups carefully into the living room. Arthur still kept his eyes on the TV. Merlin placed the tea down on the coffee table and sat next to Arthur on the sofa. He looked at the blond farmer as he took a sip of his tea.

"Shut up, Merlin."

"I didn't say anything." Merlin took another sip.

Arthur picked up his own tea, drinking it silently. His face had softened a little, however, and Merlin relaxed into his seat.

...

Arthur could still feel the burning heat in his cheeks. He knew it was a stupid idea to have that calendar displayed in his kitchen. He had convinced himself it was fine, and Merlin never came into the house anyway, and then he had invited him into the house. How stupid of him.

The very first moment he set eyes on Merlin, he had found him enchanting. He didn’t know that his feelings for him would grow into something more in the space of a month, or that every time he saw Merlin his heart rate would go insane, or that he would think about him every night as he drifted off to sleep. He felt silly to have a crush at his age, but that’s what it was.

Deep down, he knew it made sense. He hadn’t done much crushing at the village school he had attended when all his other friends had started dating each other. Everyone kept trying to set him and Gwen up on dates, but they just didn’t understand. They were the best of friends, nothing more. They loved each other, yes, but it was friendship. He had had a couple of fleeting crushes, on _boys_ , but in such a tiny town where everyone knew everyone, he barely let himself acknowledge that it was happening. It just wasn’t worth the risk, but Arthur was older now. He wasn’t in school anymore. Maybe he didn’t need to hide. The thought of being honest with Merlin made him sweat, despite being partially shoved out of the closet by his own silly actions. It was probably blindingly obvious. Why else would he have a topless photo of Merlin on his kitchen wall. He had told himself that it was a calendar and Merlin just happened to be one of the models, but he knew he had bought it _because_ Merlin was one of the models. Gwen had thought it was hilarious. She probably guessed that this would happen.

And now they were sitting on his sofa and Arthur was drinking a cup of tea that Merlin had made for him. It felt almost domestic. All Arthur wanted to do was turn around and take in the sight of Merlin cosy in the seat next to him, in Arthur’s clothes which looked a little too big for him, his hands half covered by the sleeves of his jumper as he held his mug in both his hands, his hair damp and frizzy where he had dried it with the towel and the reflection of the TV in his blue eyes. Instead, Arthur took stolen glances when he thought Merlin wasn’t paying attention.

Merlin inched closer to Arthur. He held his breath as he felt their thighs just touching together. They finished their tea in silence, watching a warm, smiling presenter in a fleece talk about barn owls. Arthur felt acutely aware of the lack of space between them. He put his empty cup down on the coffee table. Unsure of where to put his hands, he rested them awkwardly on top of his legs. He felt Merlin’s gaze on him, but he couldn’t bring himself to look him in the eye, so he kept watching the TV, not that he was paying attention to it. He glanced down at Merlin’s hands that were clasped in his lap. He imagined Merlin reaching out and taking Arthur’s hand in his. At last, Merlin spoke, and some of the tension left the room.

...

"I'm sorry I let all your calves escape,” Merlin winced slightly at the words.

"It's alright Merlin, I don’t expect you to be competent at your job." Arthur folded his arms. He smiled slightly at his little jab, as if he had won by being vaguely insulting.

Merlin shook his head and laughed. This man was unbelievable. And cute.

On the TV, they showed a short-eared owl perched on someone’s arm, its big, round eyes staring at everything around it.

"That's what you looked like when I caught you setting all my animals free," Arthur teased.

Merlin knew the farmer was winding him up, but two could play at that game.

"And that's what you looked like when I found my calendar in your kitchen."

Arthur gave Merlin a slightly harder than playful shove. Merlin picked up a cushion and threw it at Arthur. Arthur looked at him, grabbed the cushion and hit Merlin back. Merlin tried to snatch the cushion off him, but Arthur was just a little bit stronger than Merlin. They tugged and pulled at the cushion, neither backing down. Arthur used his whole body weight to try and pull the cushion out of Merlin's grasp but instead he pulled Merlin right on top of him.

They stopped moving. Their faces were centimetres away from each other. Arthur was staring at Merlin's lips, not even attempting to push the farm boy off. Merlin's breath was shaky. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to the farmer’s mouth. Arthur let out a low, agreeable sigh and Merlin felt his heart dance in his chest. He pulled back and looked at Arthur but Arthur put his hand on the back of Merlin’s head and pulled him in for another kiss.

They could hear the rain continuing to drum on the window.

"It's still raining," Merlin said quietly.

"Would you like to stay," Arthur whispered in reply.

Merlin nodded. He settled down so his head was resting on Arthur’s chest. It wasn’t long before they both fell asleep. The TV playing quietly in the background and the rain hitting the window.


End file.
